Incidence, Quality of Care, and Mortality in Hip Fracture Patients in the Course of the COVID Pandemic: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the incidence, quality of in-hospital care, and mortality for hip fracture (HF) patients in Denmark before and during the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic. METHODS: We obtained data from the Danish registries in the COVID period (March 11, 2020 to January 27, 2021, overall and in 5 periods) and compared it to a pre-COVID period (March 13, 2019 to March 10, 2020). We calculated the proportion of patients (%) that have fulfilled all the relevant quality indicators (a composite score of 100%) and adjusted hazard ratios (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for 30-day mortality. RESULTS: The incidence of HF was 5.7 per 1 000 person-years both in pre-COVID and COVID periods. About 35% of patients had a composite score of 100% in the COVID period compared to 28% in the pre-COVID period (proportion ratio 1.23 [95% CI: 1.17-1.30]). Fulfillment of all individual quality indicators was similar or higher in the COVID period. 30-day mortality was 9.5% in pre-COVID period, compared to 10.8% in the COVID period (HR 1.15 [95% CI: 1.02-1.30]). HRs varied from 1.07 (95% CI: 0.89-1.29) to 1.31 (95% CI: 1.06-1.62) in 5 COVID periods. In-hospital mortality was 4% in pre-COVID versus 4.4% in COVID period. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HF in Denmark remained unchanged. The quality of in-hospital care was higher in the COVID compared to pre-COVID period. Unfortunately, 30-day mortality was also higher, highlighting the importance of recognizing diversity of social networks, home support, and digital health intervention after discharge for outcome of HF patients.

The Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry 13-Year Results from a Population-Based Cohort of Hip Fracture Patients.

AIM OF THE REGISTRY: The aim of the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry (DMHFR) is to collect data on processes of treatment, nursing care and rehabilitation as well as outcomes for patients with hip fracture in Denmark, and thereby monitor and improve the quality. STUDY POPULATION: Hip fracture patients at age 65 or older that have undergone surgery with arthroplasty or internal fixation since 2004. MAIN VARIABLES: DMHFR collects quality indicators and descriptive variables. Quality indicators include eight process performance measures within treatment, nursing care and rehabilitation, reflecting recommendations from the national clinical guideline for hip fracture patients, and three outcome measures including survival within 30-days, unplanned acute readmission within 30 days and reoperation within 2 years. Descriptive variables include a number of patient- and surgery-related characteristics. All data are collected prospectively. RESULTS: By the end of 2018, the DMHFR included 86,438 hip fracture patients. Since 2006, all hospital departments in Denmark, treating patients with hip fracture, have reported improvement in quality of care and improvement in survival, and reoperation over time as well as high completeness of variables registration. CONCLUSION: The DMHFR is a well-established nationwide clinical registry, which plays a key role for monitoring and improving hip fracture care in Denmark. The registry can further be linked to a range of other nationwide registries in order to answer a number of relevant clinical research questions.

Impact of comorbidity on the association between surgery delay and mortality in hip fracture patients: A Danish nationwide cohort study.

PURPOSE: To examine the association between surgery delay and mortality in hip fracture patients with and without known comorbidity. METHODS: We identified all patients with a first time hip fracture diagnose operated between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2015 (n = 36,552). As a measure of comorbidity we used Charlson Comorbidity Index stratified in categories: none (no registered comorbidities prior fracture), medium (1-2 points) and high (≥3 points). RESULTS: No association between surgery delay, regardless of the threshold, and 30-days mortality was observed among patients with high level of comorbidity. Surgery delay of >24h vs. ≤24 h was associated with higher 0-30-days mortality in patients with medium level of comorbidity (adjusted HR: 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01 ; 1.24)). In addition, surgery delay was associated with up to 45% increased mortality in patients with none comorbidity prior surgery, although the confidence intervals were wide. Furthermore, surgery delay of >24 h (vs. <24 h) and >48 h (vs. ≤48 h) was associated with higher 31-90-days mortality among all patients (adjusted HR: 1.19 (95% CI: 1.10 ; 1.29) and 1.35 (95% CI: 1.16 ; 1.56), respectively), but in particular among patients with none (adjusted HR: 1.26 (95% CI: 1.08 ; 1.47) and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.26 ; 2.17), respectively) and medium (adjusted HR: 1.21 (95% CI: 1.07 ; 1.36) and 1.25 (95% CI: 1.00 ; 1.57), respectively) level of comorbidity at the time of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: There was an association between surgery delay and 30-days mortality in hip fracture surgery patients with none and medium level of comorbidity, whereas no such association was observed among hip fracture patients with a high comorbidity level. Surgery delay was associated with one year increased risk of dying in both patients with and without comorbidity prior surgery.

Regaining pre-fracture basic mobility status after hip fracture and association with post-discharge mortality and readmission-a nationwide register study in Denmark.

BACKGROUND: early mobilization after hip fracture (HF) is an important predictor of outcome, but knowledge of the consequences of not achieving the pre-fracture basic mobility status in acute hospital recovery is sparse. OBJECTIVE: we examined whether the regain of pre-fracture basic mobility status evaluated with the cumulated ambulation score (CAS) at hospital discharge was associated with 30-day post-discharge mortality and readmission. DESIGN: this is a population-based cohort study. MEASURES: using the nationwide Danish Multidisciplinary HF Database from January 2015 through December 2015, 5,147 patients 65 years or older undergoing surgery for a first-time HF were included. The pre-fracture and discharge CAS score (0-6 points with six points indicating an independent basic mobility status) were recorded. CAS was dichotomized as regained or not and entered into adjusted Cox regression overall analysis and stratified by sex, age, body mass index, Charlson comorbidity index, type of fracture, residential status and length of acute hospital stay. Outcome measures were 30-day post-discharge mortality and readmission. RESULTS: overall mortality and readmission were 8.3% (n = 425) and 17.1% (n = 882), respectively. Mortality was 3.5% (n = 71) among patients who regained their pre-fracture CAS score compared with 11.4% (n = 354) among those who did not. Adjusted hazard ratios for 30-day mortality and readmission were 2.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.01-3.78) and 1.26 (95% CI = 1.07, 1.48), respectively, for patients who did not regain their pre-fracture CAS compared with those who did. CONCLUSIONS: we found that the loss of pre-fracture basic mobility level upon acute hospital discharge was associated with increased 30-day post-discharge mortality and readmission after a first time HF.

Using national hip fracture registries and audit databases to develop an international perspective.

Hip fracture is the commonest reason for older people to need emergency anaesthesia and surgery, and leads to prolonged dependence for many of those who survive. People with this injury are usually identified very early in their hospital care, so hip fracture is an ideal marker condition with which to audit the care offered to older people by health services around the world. We have reviewed the reports of eight national audit programmes, to examine the approach used in each, and highlight differences in case mix, management and outcomes in different countries. The national audits provide a consistent picture of typical patients - an average age of 80 years, with less than a third being men, and a third of all patients having cognitive impairment - but there was surprising variation in the type of fracture, of operation and of anaesthesia and hospital length of stay in different countries. These national audits provide a unique opportunity to compare how health care systems of different countries are responding to the same clinical challenge. This review will encourage the development and reporting of a standardised dataset to support international collaboration in healthcare audit.

[Diagnosis and procedure coding in relation to the DRG system]. / Diagnose- og procedurekodning i relation til DRG-systemet på en ortopaedkirurgisk afdeling.

INTRODUCTION: The aim was to investigate the consequences of missing or wrong diagnoses and procedure codes in relation to the DRG system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients admitted to the orthopaedic department during the course of one week, 155 patients, were consecutively entered. Former diagnoses were registered from interviews with all the patients, former case notes, and present hospital records. They were then compared to the department case notes, including diagnosis and procedure codes. All codes were then compared in Visual DRG (version 97) for grouping. RESULTS: The coding was correct in 103 of 155 cases (65%). In 52 cases (35%) the coding was incorrect or insufficient, in 18 of the 52 cases (12% overall) it lead to a decrease in the DRG value, which extrapolated on a yearly base, would lead to a loss of DDK 23 million. In total, coding was incorrect or insufficient in one third of the records. DISCUSSION: Irrespective of whether the DRG system is implemented or not, it is important that departments register the correct diagnoses and procedures, not only those relevant to the department. There is a continued need to teach and inform the staff about the correct coding procedures.